Steering device

Abstract

A steering device includes a rotary part rotatably attached to a mobile body, and a grip part connected to the rotary part, wherein the rotary part includes a light irradiation part configured to emit light toward at least a portion of the grip part, the light irradiation part includes a light emitting element configured to emit light at an angle range that is determined in advance, and a lens configured to narrow the angle range of the light emitted by the light emitting element, and when an extension direction of the at least the portion of the grip part to which the light is emitted is assumed as a first direction, a direction perpendicular to a direction of an optical axis of the light emitted by the light irradiation part and to the first direction is assumed as a second direction, a plane including the optical axis and the first direction is assumed as a first plane, and a plane including the optical axis and the second direction is assumed as a second plane, the lens narrows the angle range of the light emitted by the light emitting element such that a first angle range is larger than a second angle range, the first angle range being an angle range in the first plane, the second angle range being an angle range in the second plane.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A steering device provided to a mobile body, the steering device comprising:
 a rotary part rotatably attached to the mobile body; and 
 a grip part configured to be gripped by a user, the grip part being connected to the rotary part, wherein 
 the rotary part includes a first light irradiation part configured to emit light toward at least a portion of the grip part, 
 the first light irradiation part includes
 a light emitting element configured to emit light at an angle range that is determined in advance, and 
 a lens configured to narrow the angle range of the light emitted by the light emitting element, and 
 
 when an extension direction of the at least the portion of the grip part to which the light is emitted is assumed as a first direction, a direction perpendicular to a direction of an optical axis of the light emitted by the first light irradiation part and to the first direction is assumed as a second direction, a plane including the optical axis and the first direction is assumed as a first plane, and a plane including the optical axis and the second direction is assumed as a second plane, 
 the lens narrows the angle range of the light emitted by the light emitting element such that a first angle range is larger than a second angle range, the first angle range being an angle range of the light emitted by the first light irradiation part in the first plane, the second angle range being an angle range of the light emitted by the first light irradiation part in the second plane. 
 
     
     
       2. The steering device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 in a state in which the steering device is attached to the mobile body, 
 the lens has a reflection surface that reflects light incident on the lens, thus defining one end of the angle range of the light on a front side, and 
 of the light emitted at the second angle range in the second plane, light at a front end impinges on the grip part. 
 
     
     
       3. The steering device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the lens is configured to allow emission of light after changing, to a direction toward the grip part, a direction of the optical axis of the light that is incident on the lens. 
 
     
     
       4. The steering device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the grip part is disposed in such a way as to enclose a periphery of the rotary part, and 
 in a state in which the steering device is attached to the mobile body, 
 the first light irradiation part is configured to, when the rotary part is in a reference angle position, irradiate, with light, a portion of the grip part that is located above the rotary part in a vertical direction. 
 
     
     
       5. The steering device according to  claim 4 , wherein
 the light emitted by the first light irradiation part has an intensity distribution in which an angle position farther from the optical axis has a lower intensity, 
 the rotary part further includes a second light irradiation part having a configuration equivalent to a configuration of the first light irradiation part, and 
 the first light irradiation part and the second light irradiation part are configured such that
 a portion of the light emitted by the first light irradiation part and a portion of light emitted by the second light irradiation part overlap with each other, and 
 in a case in which the steering device is attached to the mobile body and the rotary part is in the reference angle position, the portion of the light emitted by the first light irradiation part and the portion of the light emitted by the second light irradiation part that overlap with each other impinge on the portion of the grip part that is located above the rotary part in the vertical direction. 
 
 
     
     
       6. The steering device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the steering device is attached to inside a vehicle that allows either an automatic operation or a manual operation performed by the user, 
 the rotary part further includes a second light irradiation part having a configuration equivalent to a configuration of the first light irradiation part, 
 the steering device further includes a control unit configured to control the first light irradiation part and the second light irradiation part, and 
 the control unit is configured to cause the first light irradiation part and the second light irradiation part to alternately emit the light when the vehicle shifts from the automatic operation to the manual operation.